List of British military equipment of World War II

The following is a list of British military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. World War II was a global war that was under way by 1939 and ended in 1945. On 1 September 1939, Germany, which aimed to dominate Europa, attacked the Poland. This conflict led to declaration of war by Great Britain.

Knives and bayonets

• BC-41
  • Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife

Small arms

Pistols (manual and semi-automatic)

• Enfield No.2 Mk.1 Revolver
• Webley Revolver - many marks in .38 and .455 inch calibre
• Browning FN-Inglis "Pistol No.II Mk.I*"
• Colt M1911A1
• Webley No.I Mk.I - (automatic pistol in .455 inch). Issued to the Royal Navy
• Welrod - silenced pistol for irregular forces such as SOE and supply to resistance groups
• Smith & Wesson Model 10
• Colt New Service
• Colt Official Police

Automatic pistols and submachine guns

• Lanchester - British submachine gun, developed from the German MP28, used by the Royal Navy & Royal Air Force.
• Sten - British submachine gun from late 1941/early 1942, to the end of the war.
• Thompson - American submachine gun used in large numbers until the Sten gun was introduced.
• Sterling-Patchett- British submachine gun trialled in small numbers in combat from 1944
• BSA Welgun - prototype only, did not see service

Rifles

• De Lisle Carbine - Specialist issue, very low number made
• Enfield Pattern 14 (P14) - Used as a marksman weapon until the No.IV Mk.I(T) was introduced, also issued in large number to the LDV.
• M1917 Enfield - Issued to LDV.
• Martini-Enfield - Used as a reserve arm by Commonwealth troops from India, New Zealand, etc.
• Lee Enfield No.1 Mk.III* - Lee Enfield rifle in service at the beginning of the war, supplemented and replaced by the No.4 Mk.I by mid-war.
  • Swift training rifle
• Lee Enfield No.4 Mk.1 + No.4 Mk.I(T) - Lee Enfield rifle that replaced the No.I Mk.III* in larger numbers mid-war.
• Lee Enfield No.5 Mk.I Jungle Carbine - Introduced in 1944 to replace the longer No.1 Mk.III*, and No.4 Mk.I rifles for when in use in the jungles of the Far East.
• M1 Garand - American rifle, used in small quantities by special units.
• M1 & M1A1 Carbine - American rifle, used in small quantities by special units.

Grenades and grenade launchers

• Grenade, Hand or Rifle, No.36M Mk.I "Mills Bomb"
• "Grenade, Rifle No.68 /AT" HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) Rifle Grenade
• No.69 Mk.I Bakelite Concussion Hand Grenade
• No.76, Special Incendiary Phosphorus Hand Grenade
• No.73 Anti-Tank Hand Grenade "Thermos Grenade"
• Grenade, , No.74 ST "Sticky Bomb"
• Hawkins grenade (No.75 Anti-Tank Hand Grenade)
• No.77 White Phosphorus Hand Grenade
• Grenade, Hand, No. 82 "Gammon Bomb"
• Para 9
• 45 defender
• Lewes bomb - Used by the SAS
• Satchel charge
• Molotov cocktail

Flamethrowers

• Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 "Lifebuoy"
• Wasp
• Lagonda flamethrower
• Flame fougasse

Machine guns

Infantry and dual-purpose machine guns

• Bren light machine gun - Light gun through the whole of the war.
  • Besal -cancelled alternative to Bren light machine gun
• Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) - Issued to British Home Guard
• Lewis Gun - In service with some infantry at outbreak of war in small numbers, issued to British Home Guard for the rest of the war.
• Vicker Gas Operated (VGO) "Vickers K" - Aircraft machinegun, used in specialist roles on Long Range Desert Group and Special Air Service vehicles in North Africa, as well as a short-lived infantry machine gun with the Commandos.
• Vickers Medium Machine Gun - Standard medium machine gun of the British Army since 1912.
• Vickers-Berthier - Indian Commonwealth troops.

Vehicle and aircraft machine guns

• Browning M1919 - Mounted on many lend-lease vehicles.
• Browning M2 - Mounted on many lend-lease vehicles.
• Machine Gun, 7.92 mm BESA - British versions of the Czech ZB53 (Model 37) machine gun used as tank and armoured car armament only.
• Besa 15mm - similar adaption og ZB vz.60 heavy machine-gun as vehicle armament.
• Vickers .50 machine gun, Marks II, IV and V - Mounted on some tanks until superseded by the 15mm BESA
• Vickers S 40mm ground-attack autocannon

Artillery

Infantry mortars

• 2 Inch Mortar
• 3 Inch Mortar
• Ordnance ML 4.2 inch Mortar
• Northover projector - incendiary, used by Home Guard

Heavy mortars & rocket launchers

• Hedgehog (weapon) for anti-submarine warfare

Domestically produced

• RP-3 -3-inch rockets used for air-to-ground and some ground to ground use
• Mattress (rocket) (3-inch rocket
• Vickers-Armstrong dual barrel howitzer 25.4/70mm, M1930
• OQF 3-pounder gun
• QF 6-pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss - used only on armoured trains
• Ordnance QF 13-pounder (obsolete by WWII)
• QF 2.95-inch Mountain Gun - also exported to US
• Ordnance QF 75 mm - 75 mm tank gun based on 6-pdr that used US 75mm ammunition
• Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer - gun used on support tanks at start of war
• Ordnance QF 95 mm howitzer - gun used on support tanks later in war
• Ordnance QF 18-pounder (majority lost to Germans in France and never replaced as obsolete)
• Ordnance QF 25-pounder Gun-howitzer
• QF 3.7-inch mountain howitzer - used for mountain and urban warfare
• BL 4 inch naval gun Mk VII - used on merchant ships
• BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun - used on Flower-class corvettes
• QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun - main naval dual-purpose gun
• QF 4.5-inch howitzer - nearly obsolete at start of WWII
• BL 60-pounder gun - 5-inch heavy field gun
• BL 4.5-inch Medium Field Gun - replaced 60-pdr in service
• BL 6-inch Gun Mk XIX
• BL 6-inch 26 cwt howitzer
• BL 5.5-inch Medium Gun
• BL 7.2-inch Howitzer - heavy field howitzers

Imported

• M116 howitzer (M1 pack howitzer)
• 75 mm Gun M2/M3/M6
• 155 mm Long Tom
• 240 mm howitzer M1

Fortress and siege guns

• QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun - for coastal defense
  • QF 6 pounder 10 cwt gun - for navy and coastal defense
• BL 5.5 inch Mark I naval gun - for navy and coastal defense
• BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun - for coastal defense
• BL 7.5 inch Mk VI naval gun - for coastal defense
• BL 8 inch Howitzer Mk 6 - 8
  • BL 7.2-inch howitzer
• BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun - for coastal defense
• BL 9.2-inch howitzer
  • BL 12-inch howitzer
• BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X - purpose-built for coastal defense
  • BL 9.2-inch Railway Gun
• BL 13.5-inch Mk V naval gun - mounted as railway gun
• BL 14 inch Mk VII naval gun - 2 re-built for coastal defense
• BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun - 8 re-built for coastal defense
• BL 16 inch Mk I naval gun - 4 guns produced during WWII but never used
  • BL 18 inch Mk I naval gun - 1 gun was lined-down to 16 inches and used for weapons tests during WWII
• BL 18 inch railway howitzer - never used in action

Anti-tank guns

• 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun - used in France until defeat in 1940
• Smith Gun - Home Guard use only
• Vickers-Armstrong dual barrel 44/60mm, M1936
• Ordnance QF 2 pounder
  • Littlejohn adaptor
• Ordnance QF 6 pounder
• Ordnance QF 17 pounder
• Ordnance QF 32-pounder - prototype only

Anti-tank weapons (besides ant-tank guns)

• Boys anti-tank rifle Infantry anti-tank weapon (prewar - 1943).
• Blacker Bombard - spigot mortar
• Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank (PIAT) - Infantry anti-tank weapon (1943 until end of war)

Anti-aircraft weapons

Light anti-aircraft guns

• Holman Projector
• Gun, Machine, Vickers, .5-inch, Mk. III in quadruple mounts - obsolete by WWII
• 20 mm Oerlikon
• 20 mm Polsten
• Hispano-Suiza HS.404 - imported
• Vickers 25.4x189mm AA gun - only for export, twin mounts
• 40 mm Bofors
• QF 2-pounder naval gun (pom-pom)
• Ordnance QF 3-pounder Vickers dual-purpose gun - obsolete at start of WWII

Heavy anti-aircraft guns

• Unrotated Projectile (2-inch rocket artillery)
  • Z Battery
• QF 13-pounder 6 cwt AA gun (few guns may have survived in colonies until WWII)
• QF 12-pounder 12 cwt AA gun (used as naval dual-purpose gun on small ships during WWII)
• 75mm Vickers antiaircraft gun model 1936/39 - export only
• QF 3 inch 20 cwt
• Vickers Model 1931 - export only
• QF 3.7 inch AA gun
• QF 4 inch Mk XIX naval gun - dual-purpose naval gun for small warships
• QF 4.5-inch Mark 1 to Mark V
• QF 5.25 inch gun Mk 2 - naval, anti-aircraft and coastal defense roles

Vehicles

Tankettes

• Carden Loyd tankette (Mk 1 -Mk 6)
• Light Tank Mk I to Mk V
• Light Tank Mk VI

Tanks

• Vickers L1E3 - light amphibious tank trialled but not used
• Vickers 6-Ton (Vickers Mark E), Type A and Type B
• Light Tank Mk.VII Tetrarch
• Light Tank Mk VIII (Harry Hopkins tank)
• Vickers Medium Mark II - Used in small scale in the early battles in North Africa, from then; dug into ground with turret protruding for defence, in North Africa, & Great Britain.
• Medium Mark III - only 3 built
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.I (A9)
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.II (A10)
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.III (A13)
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.IV (A13 Mk.II)
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.V, Covenanter (A13 Mk.III)
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.VI, Crusader (A15)
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.VII, Cavalier (A24) - gun tank used for training only, OP and ARV tank used.
• Tank, Cruiser Mk.VIII, Centaur (A27L)
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.VIII, Cromwell (A27M)
• Tank, Cruiser, Mk.VIII, Challenger (A30)
• Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34)
• Tank, Cruiser, Centurion I (A41) - Entered service too late to see combat service.
• Tank, Infantry, Mk.I, Matilda I (A11)
• Tank, Infantry, Mk.II, Matilda II (A12)
• Tank, Infantry, Mk.III Valentine
• Tank, Infantry, Mk.IV, Churchill (A22)
• Tank, Infantry, Valiant (A38) - prototype only.
• Infantry Tank Black Prince (A43) - prototype only.
• "Tank, Heavy Assault, A33 (Excelsior)" - prototype only
• Tortoise heavy assault tank - prototype only
• Tank, Heavy TOG 1 - prototype only
• Tank, Heavy TOG 2 - prototype only

Imported tanks

• M3 Lee (Lee/Grant) - Medium Tank M3, provided by Lend-Lease from America.
• M3 Stuart
• M4 Sherman - Medium Tank M4, provided by Lend-Lease from America.
  • Sherman Firefly - Sherman tank, rearmed with a British 17pdr gun.
• M22 Locust
• M24 Chaffee

Exported tanks

• Vickers A4E11 (also Vickers A4E12 and T-37 tank) - exported to China, Dutch and USSR

Self-propelled guns

Tank-based

• Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk.I, Archer
• Carrier, Valentine, 25pdr gun, Mk.I, Bishop
• 3in SP. Wolverine - Gun Motor Carriage M10, provided under Lend-Lease from America.
  • 17pdr SP. Achilles - rearmed with 17 pdr gun
• 25pdr SP, tracked, Sexton
• SP 17pdr, A30 (Avenger) - Order not fulfilled until post-war.
• 105 mm SP, Priest - 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7, provided under Lend-Lease from America.
• Alecto (SPG) - 2 prototypes

Other

• AEC Mk I Gun Carrier "Deacon"

• M3(T12) 75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage - Provided under Lend-Lease from America. In British service designated "75 mm SP, Autocar".
• T48 57 mm Gun Motor Carriage - 680 provided by Lend-Lease from America. Many had gun removed to convert them back to Armoured Personnel Carriers.
• Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M14 - Provided by Lend-Lease from America. Many had guns removed to convert them back to Armoured Personnel Carriers.

Armoured cars

• AEC Armoured Car
• Alvis-Straussler AC3, 12 "Alvis-Straussler Type A" produced for Aden garrison, "AC3D" exported to Dutch and Portugal
• Armadillo armoured fighting vehicle, extemporized armoured vehicle based on a truck chassis
• Bison concrete armoured lorry, a series of extemporized armoured vehicles based on truck chassis
• Bedford OXA, armoured car based on a truck chassis
• Daimler Armoured Car
• Daimler Dingo, similar "Lynx scout car" produced in Canada
• Humber Scout Car
• Humber Light Reconnaissance Car
• Guy Armoured Car/Humber Armoured Car (most widely used WWII armoured car of Great Britain)
• Coventry armoured car
• Lanchester 6x4 Armoured Car
• Morris Light Reconnaissance Car
• Peerless Armoured Car - First World War era armoured car
• Rolls-Royce Armoured Car
• Standard Beaverette

Export only

• Alvis-Straussler AC2 (produced in Hungary as 39M Csaba)
• Vickers-Morris M1931 (6 made for export to Siam)
• Crossley IGA1 (450 in Indian service since 1930s)

Import only

• Half-track Car M2 - Provided under Lend-Lease by US.
• Half-track Car M3 - Provided under Lend-Lease by US.
• M3 Scout Car (White scout car) - provided under Lend-Lease by US.
• Otter Light Reconnaissance Car - ""Car, Light Reconnaissance, Canadian GM Mark I", based on layout of Humber Light Reconnaisance Car

Armoured carriers

• "Kangaroo" armoured personnel carriers
• Universal Carrier, also earlier specialized version "Bren Carrier" and "Scout Carrier"
  • Praying Mantis (prototype only) - elevating machine gun carrier
• Loyd Carrier - utility carrier
• Half-track Personnel Carrier M3 - Provided under Lend-Lease by US.
• Half-track Personnel Carrier M5 - Provided under Lend-Lease by US.
• 4-ton amphibian, Terrapin - amphibious load and personnel carrier

Engineering and command

• Guy Lizard - armoured command vehicle)
• AEC Armoured Command Vehicle
• Cultivator No. 6 - trench cutter, not used
• Hobart's Funnies - collective name applied to specialist vehicles of the 79th Armoured Division

Trucks

• AEC Matador
• Austin K5
• Bedford OY
• Bedford QL trucks series
  • Bedford QLD - most common in QL series, "General Service" (cargo version)
• Canadian Military Pattern truck - various trucks built by Canadian companies to common specifications
• Ford Fordor

Passenger cars

• Humber Super Snipe - militarised as "Car, 4-seater, 4x2"
• Willys MB - Lend Lease "jeeps"
• "Tilly" - nickname applied collectively to military versions of cars
• Ford Fordor - Canadian Ford production, used as "Car, Heavy Utility 4×2 Ford C11" ·

Motorcycles

• Royal Enfield WD/RE
• Welbike

Tractors & prime movers

• Albion CX22S heavy artillery tractor
• Diamond T tank transporter
• Scammell Pioneer
• Scammell Pioneer Semi-trailer
• Morris C8
• Morris CDSW

Miscellaneous vehicles

• Austin K2/Y, ambulance

Aircraft

Main article: List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II

Radar

Ground

• Chain Home, early warning radar

Aircraft

• Monica (radar), tail warning radar fitted to bombers
• H2S (radar), ground scanning radar fitted to bombers

Naval

Main article: List of World War II British naval radar

Missiles & bombs

Aerial bombs

• "Bouncing bombs"
  • Upkeep
  • Highball
• Gas bombs
• Smoke bombs
• Tallboy bomb
• Grand Slam bomb

• Blockbuster bombs

4,000 lb HC (High Capacity)

8,000 lb HC

12,000 lb HC

See also

• List of equipment used in World War II
• List of common World War II infantry weapons
• List of secondary and special issue World War II infantry weapons